Coronavirus Crisis Could Mean Minors Get Deported

SJC's Executive Director Gautam Jagannath and Legal Director Emily Abraham were interviewed by NBC News for their reporting on how the COVID-19 pandemic was affecting immigration proceedings for unaccompanied minors.

With hearings being postponed indefinitely due to the pandemic, young clients faced the risk of aging out of protections available to minors. If their cases were further delayed past their 21st birthday, they could lose eligibility for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and face deportation.

"These are kids who have been waiting years for their day in court," said Jagannath. "The pandemic has created an impossible situation, the longer the delay, the greater the risk that they lose their only path to legal status."

The NBC News segment brought national attention to this overlooked consequence of court closures and helped advocate for expedited processing of juvenile cases.